He started his journalism career in 1992 as a freelance writer for Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s largest daily national newspaper and soon specialised in air transport. Jens joined Aviation Week and Aviation Daily in 2000 as one of the European correspondents. Later his role was expanded to cover international air transport. In 2013 he was named Managing Editor Commercial.
Jens frequently appears on radio and TV to comment on industry matters. In 2003, he received the Hugo Junkers Award of the German aviation press for his coverage of Fairchild Dornier’s bankruptcy. He was named the country’s top travel and air transport writer by the Travel Industry Club three times. Jens graduated from the Munich School of Journalism.
Lufthansa plans to base 30 long-haul aircraft at its Munich hub by the end of the decade, Carsten Spohr, the airline's executive board member for personnel and services said at an industry congress in Cologne, Germany. For the first time, the airline will also base crews at the airport, its second-largest hub behind Frankfurt. Lufthansa and Swiss plan to coordinate the long-haul schedule at the Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich hubs next summer. Lufthansa plans to take over Swiss -- in which it now holds a 49% stake -- next year.
British Airways yesterday reached a new deal with financially troubled catering company Gate Gourmet, and the airline said it is now up to Gate Gourmet to settle its labor problems. Gate Gourmet UK had earlier warned that it needed an improved BA contract by yesterday afternoon to avoid going into bankruptcy (DAILY, Aug. 23). BA said it has "agreed to the terms of a new deal that improves and extends the commercial arrangement" between Gate Gourmet.
Cypriot airline Helios Airways starting Aug. 28 will no longer fly its scheduled services from Larnaca to Athens and Prague, the route operated by a Boeing 737-800 that crashed earlier this month (DAILY, Aug. 16), killing all 121 on board. "In view of the tragic loss of our aircraft and the resulting unavoidable extraordinary circumstances, Helios Airways is forced to rearrange its flight program with the remaining aircraft," the airline said in a statement.
